It's Never Over
by Infiltrat0rN7
Summary: Shepard's confrontation with the Catalyst was all in her head. What really happened with the Crucible? What will be the true fate of the Galaxy? What will happen between her and her love? Story begins in London at the end of ME3, post the extended cut. Shenko fluffies Edit: Changed rating for newest chapter
1. Chapter 1 - The Cycle Ends

AN: I rewrite the ending a lot. This is my favorite one so far. I won't lie, someone close to me who also plays Mass Effect put a lot of insight into this as well(but really only in this chapter/how the Crucible scene really went).  
I hope you all like my ending. More soon.

Rhea Shepard: Soldier, Spacer, Paragon(with a good amount of Renegade), Stayed faithful to Kaidan.

(Edit: Yes, her class is a soldier. Yes, I do mention Cerberus gave her 'a biotic upgrade'. This is because when choosing my advanced training, I chose Reave. It would make sense to simply assume she was given the upgrade. I forgot to add it when I first wrote this, so I'm adding it now. It'll probably be mentioned again later.)

* * *

The sound of a reaper horn shocked her awake. Rhea Shepard took a deep breath and pain surged through her body.

Nope. Not a dream.

But, how? She spoke to it, the Catalyst. She learned the Illusive Man and Saren were right; we had the ability to control the Reapers or join them. But Hackett ruled. She destroyed them. How could she justify the other two options? It was everything she fought against. Shepard clearly remembered destroying the Reapers, as well as EDI and the geth, according to the Catalyst.

Static and choppy words came through her omni-tool. There was interference from the Reaper that just left; it wasn't gone completely.

"Shep... no one... the Citadel! ...Crucible... not firing!"

Anderson.

She stood up slowly, her body aching. "I'm on my way sir. There was a... an obstruction." she said, looking up to the reaper that took her down; it was almost out of view. "You're not on the Citadel?" Shepard asked. She looked around. No survivors. "Hell no Shepard! I can't leave these men! We've got banshees, marauders, and husks coming at us from all directions and- damn it! You, men! Focus on that brute!" She barely made out his words through the static. "Get on the Citadel now, Shepard!" he ordered. She picked up her rifle off the ground and straightened out her armor that survived the blast. Unlike her dream, or vision, or whatever it was she saw, one of her shoulder pads and a piece from her legs was missing, as well as there being a few cracks on her chest plate and that was all. Her shields were fried to hell. Other than that, and a million scratches and bruises, she was... decent. "I'm on it, sir." she said, charging to the beam.

"Hackett! I'm headed to the Citadel!" she said, attempting to radio the other Admiral. "You have no idea how great it is to hear that, Shepard." he responded. He then connected to every fleet, troop, and soldier he could. The last thing she heard before hitting the beam was his voice, "Commander Shepard is headed to the Citadel! I repeat: Commander Shepard is going to the Citadel! Prepare for her to fire the Crucible at any moment!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

No survivors. No life. No... nothing.

This was not the place from her dream. This place was all too familiar.

The Citadel Tower. The place where it all began. Just in front of her was the same control hologram that Saren attempted to use in 2183. The memories of the first attempt of the Reaper invasion still haunted her.

She started to make her way towards the control site when the entire window shattered and glass shards flew in her direction. Instinctively, Shepard took cover behind the wall of a planter, also taking the folded up helmet and covering her head, attaching it to her suit for the sound of glass settled, she looked over the wall. A reaper fell into view where the window once was.

"Shepard."

Harbinger.

"Give it up! This is over!" Shepard screamed to it.

"You will fail."

She was about to make a run for the control pannel when she heard the insect-like sound of some familiar enemies. Looking over the wall again, she could see the last of the Collectors blocking her way. Harbinger must have saved a few before she destroyed the Collector Base. Next thing she knew, Shepard was unloading everything she had on them.

After some time, what felt like an eternity to Shepard, only one Collector stood between her and the control pannel.

"Assuming direct control."

The form of the last Collector in existence was under Harbinger's powerful influence. She felt like she was fighting the corrupt Prothean for hours but due to her extended experience of fighting Collectors, and the biotic upgrade she received from Cerberus, it took practically no time at all.

She stood at the control pannel, now face to face(so to speak) with Harbinger.

"You have proven yourself worthy, Shepard," he spoke to her, "but you will fail." "Not a chance!" she yelled back, her voice echoing throughout the lifeless tower, "I've made it this far. We have made it this far as a united galaxy. _You_ have failed."

"We are superior. Organics are weak. We are your destiny."

Shepard shook her head as if the gesture meant anything to the ancient machine, "No. We are not weak. We have made it this far and from today on we will make it farther." her voice was stern. She scanned the pannel for the button. It was simply labeled 'Activate'. Her hand hovered over it. "We chose our own destiny. No one decides fate for us. Our lives are our own. We are free." Harbinger opened up to reveal his 'eyes'. His beams were all charging to full power. Shepard yelled up to it, "This is the end- once and for all."

She slammed her hand on the button and sprinted away for cover. Adrenaline was the only thing fueling her system right now. She attempted to scream into her her communicator, "Anderson! Hackett! The Crucible has been activated!" Anderson was the one to reply. His words were barely heard through the crackling, "You did good, child. I'm proud of you."

The Citadel began to focus all of it's energy on the Crucible. Everything around her lit up and she could hear thousands of machines coming online.

Avina spoke all over the Citadel. "The Citadel Mass Weapon System is online." she said in her usual, cheery voice, as if the Citadel was made for this. "Please brace for station recoil." The VI's voice began to fade away as all energy was focused to the Crucible. "The chance of surviving station recoil is-" Her voice was cut off. Shepard simply laughed. "I guess I won't know my chance of surviving, huh?"

Shepard looked around. She didn't have time to get off. Her only thought was to find cover. Some of the embassies were still standing, some of the heavy walls had fallen over. Shepard's only choice was to hide under some of the walls.

When she found a good spot for the best cover she could get, hoping it would fall down on her during the 'station recoil' Avina spoke of, she sat down and leaned her back against the wall. She let out a heavy breath. This was it. The ends.

She thought of EDI, how she wished she could tell her she was sorry. Legion, his work to join the Quarians and the Geth, now for nothing. Thane, his work for a future he would never see. Anderson, the man who was practically a father to her. Her mother, Hannah Shepard, who she never got her proper goodbyes with. And lastly, Kaidan Alenko. The man who has been with her since the beginning. The man she wouldn't be here with out. The man she loved more than life itself. The image of him before she left for the beam haunted her. The hurt and loss in his eyes and the blood that stained his face. Before the sound of an Earth-shattering blast filled the Citadel, she reminisced their entire time together in a second because it was all the time she had.

"All fleets! The Crucible is armed. Disengage and head to the rendezvous point. I repeat, disengage and get the hell out of here!"

There was a blast and everything in Shepard's world went black. She simply smiled at the sound.

* * *

AN: I'll have the next chapter up ASAP! Please tell me what you think! I'd love to hear your feedback! c:


	2. Chapter 2 - Rebuilding Hope

Rhea Shepard: Soldier, Spacer, Sole Survivor, Paragon(with a good amount of Renegade), faithful to Kaidan.

Alternate ME3 ending; one of the ways I thought it could end.

Also, Leviathan and Omega DLCs are mentioned.

* * *

As the _Normandy_ flew away at FTL speeds, the Citadel quickly left view. The last thing Kaidan saw was the huge Reaper from London heading to the Citadel after the Crucible had been attached.

"God... no." he whispered before James and Garrus drug him to the med bay. Everybody knew what Shepard's only fate was.

"We have to go back! We have to save her!" Kaidan said, breaking away from the hold of the two men only to fall over, his entire body throbbing with pain. Garrus instantly reacted and went to help him up. "We can't, Kaidan. It's up to her now. At least we all had a chance to say our goodbyes." His voice lowered on the last sentence and he avoided eye contact with Kaidan. "What the hell Garrus? You're just going to give up like that? She's not- She won't- She'll make it." he said, attempting to avoid using the words die, death, or dead. Shepard was strong willed and stubborn. She's survived more Reaper forces than anyone should ever encounter. He knew in his heart that she was alive and would stay alive. "Lola's tough, but she's literally stranded on a death machine right now, Major." he looked away and narrowed his eyes, "I'm just being honest. I'm sorry." Kaidan's chest felt tight and his breathing was choppy as they made it to the elevator, heading to the crew deck. "N-no. She'll be okay.

When the three men reached the med bay, everyone was silent. Losing Shepard was hard for all of them. She brought them together and kept them alive.

Kaidan was taking this the hardest of them all. After what happened in the CIC, nobody would speak to him. Nobody wanted to provoke him into another fit that would threaten his health, physically and mentally. Ever since Horizon where Kaidan outwardly said he loved her in front of her crew, it was obvious what the two had with each other. Her constant visits to Starboard observation were a sign they had rekindled their relationship. During this war, no one cared that they had breached regulations. For all they knew, they could have died the next day. It was incentive to live in the moment.

While Kaidan was being patched up by Dr. Chakwas in the med bay, the message concerning the launch of the Crucible came through the ships communication systems. When Kaidan and the doctor looked out the room's window they could see the remaining crew was happy and relieved. Kaidan simply turned away and kept focused on the ground. The firing of the Crucible took something away that could never be replaced. "It seems as if the war is over now. What a relief." Karin said as she finished tending to Kaidan's wounds, "You're lucky your armor didn't take to much damage before that Mako almost crushed you. You probably would have broken your hip or legs." she said, attempting to change his mind of what he was obviously thinking about. "Yeah, I sure am lucky." he said, barely above a whisper. "Still there are massive bruises all over your body from the hard fall. You'll be sore for a while, so make sure to take it easy, Kaidan." He let out a deep sigh and nodded for his only response. Dr. Chakwas sighed and attempted to comfort his obvious emotional wounds, "Listen, Kaidan-" She was cut off by a deep rumble and shake of the ship. They all looked around and saw lights flickering and many systems of the ship malfunctioning or failing.

"Brace for impact!" said by Joker was heard over the intercoms. "_Normandy_'s systems are-" EDI began to speak but was cut off. "EDI? EDI! Talk to me!" Joker yelled, unaware the communication systems were still online. "Damn it EDI what's going on? You're acting really strange!" he didn't quite understand what happened. The ship eventually crashed in an open area on some unidentified planet.

Joker opened the airlock once they were sure it was safe to get out. He slowly stepped out onto calm, sunny land. No death in sight, except for whatever may have been unfortunate enough to get caught under _Normandy,_ he figured. Kaidan eventually stepped out behind him, looking around. Not to long after, Garrus followed. "Where... are we?" Garrus asked, curious if anyone may be around. Kaidan spoke up, his voice still full of hurt and worry for Shepard, "Looks like Eden Prime. I'd know this place anywhere." "Huh, how funny is it that of all places we crash land, it's Eden Prime." Joker said, investigating areas near the crashed vessel. "Yeah sure, real funny Joker." Kaidan said in a dry voice. "No need to be an ass or anything, 'Major'." he said, saying the last word in a very sarcastic tone. Kaidan just shook his head and started to make his way back inside the ship, "Let's just get comm systems up and running so we can try and contact somebody." Garrus and Joker simply shared a glance and a shrug before heading back inside, following Kaidan.

"Ah, Major?"

"What is it, Vega?"

"Since Shepard... isn't here... who's going to fill in as our commanding officer?"

"We've crash landed out in the middle of no where on this planet and have no contact with the galaxy around us and you're worried about chain of command?" Kaidan was beginning to show rage in his voice and actions. He just wanted everybody to leave him alone. He had gone through enough in the past few hours already.

"Well since he's highes up in ranks here, and was closest to the commander, I suggest Major Ass-hole takes her place." Joker said as he took his place in the cockpit, attempting to turn comm systems back on. "Fine, whatever. Just get somebody on there, preferably Alliance, and tell them what happened." Kaidan retorted. "Right away, _Commander." _he replied in a sarcastic tone. The title used caused his face to flush with anger and his heart to swell with pain. Garrus made his own way into the cockpit with the intentions of helping Joker. He figured his days at C-Sec would come in handy, as he learned from hackers and thieves how they made it into secure or damaged terminals. That was why interrogations were his favorite part of the job, or at least what he didn't hate as much as other parts.

Kaidan began to make his way to engineering, ignoring Joker and James's snide remarks about his attitude. Luckily, the elevator was one of the systems that had minimal damage, allowing for simple, quick repairs.

His intentions in engineering were to ask the mechanics to begin immediate repairs on the ship, but the dream-team of some of the galaxy's best engineers was already hard at work getting the ship operational again. "What's the situation down here?" Kaidan asked to anyone willing to answer. "Well," Tali began, turning around to face him, "Engineer Daniels was caught in the crash and hurt her ankle-" "I'm fine Tali, really." Gabby interjected, her focus never leaving the work at her post. "Right. Just making sure." Tali responded before turning back to Kaidan. "I had a small suit rupture but I was able to fix it in time. No real damage to anyone." Kaidan gave a nod in response then motioned to the computers at her station, "What's the ship's status?" She turned and continued her work as she spoke, Kaidan listening and watching from behind, "We're making steady progress, but it's slow without EDI. I'm afraid we aren't equipped to fix her here- if she can be fixed." Kaidan gave another nod of acknowledgement. "How bad is it?" "Bad, but manageable. What it seems the Crucible did was shut off and scramble all major technological systems, as well as any back up programming all across the galaxy. All memory files and enhancements on the ship appear to still be present." Kaidan watched her hands move on the holographic computer as she reprogrammed and unscrambled the navigational systems. "And what about EDI? With the adequate equipment, could you fix her?""I have not been to the AI core to examine the damage done yet, but assuming the Crucible reacted with AI programming the same way it did with the ship and VI programming, then with the adequate time and equipment, yes." A certain though creeped into Kaidan's mind and he examined it over before responding, "I remember EDI telling Shepard once..." the name that had just escaped his lips made his chest tighten in pain, but he managed to move on, "that the only other AI programs similar to her were the Geth and Reapers. Does this mean," he hesitated and Tali looked up to him through her helmet, "could the Reapers be reprogrammed?" Behind the helmet, Tali's face was full of disbelief and confusion, "I- I would assume so." She quickly returned to her work and tried to convince him, and mostly herself, that it was impossible, "I- I couldn't see them trying. The Reapers are so... intricate... it would take years upon years. It wouldn't be worth it. And even so, we have knowledge on EDI we do not on the Reapers. No, no the Reapers are gone." Kaidan nodded, not wishing to further upset her on the subject. "Right. I'll come check on you all later." "Yes, Major."

Kaidan was back in the elevator, making his way to CIC, when Joker came over the speaker, "Major, someone on Earth has Alliance comm systems back online. Establishing a connection." "Good work." A crackling sound was all that could be heard on the intercom for a few moments until a woman's voice came through, "This is Rear Admiral Shepard of the Alliance! Can anyone hear us right now?" At that moment, Kaidan could have sworn he felt his heart stop. Everyone on board looked up to him at the name. Kaidan took a deep breath before responding, "This is Major Alenko of the Normandy. What's your situation?" His voice was obviously strained. "We're okay, for now. When the Crucible was attached to the Citadel, I was assigned a troop on Earth when their leader was KIA. We were just taking off when the blast of the Crucible hit us. We crash landed instantly, but nothing serious since we were so close. Where are you all?" "I believe Eden Prime, ma'm. Our pilot was hitting every mass relay he could to try and escape the blast, but we were still caught. Our engineers are rebuilding as fast as possible." he replied in a very matter of fact tone. "Even when you repair, it could take you months to get back to Earth. The mass relays were destroyed. The Crucible used their energy to transmit it's own throughout the galaxy. Hackett gave us the full rundown when some of the fleets witnessed the destruction of the Charon Relay as they tried to escape. It wasn't hard to figure out what was going on after that." Kaidan listened, but couldn't believe what was happening. They would be out there for _months_? "Thank you for the information, Admiral." "Yes Major. You said this was the _Normandy_?" He and the crew knew where this question was going. "Yes ma'm." His heart pounded in anticipation of answering the next question. "Did you manage to get Commander Shepard off the Citadel in time?" Her voice sounded desperate and worried. He hesitated before forcing himself to answer, "No ma'm." His voice was low with a tone of feeling defeated. "I see." she responded, her voice trailing off. "Well... I will inform Anderson of your ship's status when I get a hold of him. Shepard out." The communication line was cut from her end. Kaidan hung his head low and clenched his eyes shut, "I'm sorry, Shepard." No one could figure out if that was meant for the Admiral or the Commander.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Major, all systems have been repaired. We're ready to go." Tali called to him over the intercom. "Great work, Tali, and all of you down there." For the first time in the week since they crash landed, he felt some sense of relief.

"Joker, get us out of here."

"Aye aye, sir."

Kaidan spent a lot of time in Shepard's cabin. It was the most painful thing he could do to himself, but no one bothered to stop him. The crew knew, of all people, Kaidan would need some kind of closure. If this was the way he would get it, so be it.

He went over to her desk and sat down, figuring he should look for anything meant for Anderson or Hackett, whenever they may meet again. He came across something far more interesting however: Shepard's personal journal. He never took her to be the type to keep a journal of any kind, but he was intrigued. He stared at it for a while before deciding whether or not to open it. When he did, he opened the first entry. It was from the night of the Cerberus coup on the Citadel; the same night he returned to the _Normandy_. Upon opening it, a small, holographic form of Shepard came up and Kaidan was lost by the sound of her voice.

Joker's voice interrupted his experience, "Kaidan, you've got an incoming message from Admiral Anderson. He'd like to speak with you via Shepard's private terminal." Snapped out of his thoughts, Kaidan reluctantly replied, "Got it." He slowly walked over to her workstation and opened the comm system.

"Major Alenko?"

"Yes, Admiral?"

"Good to know the _Normandy_ is safe. No casualties?"

"None."

"Great. I received word you spoke to Rear Admiral Shepard?"

"Yes. I did. She told us the mass relays aren't operational?"

The two men spoke in a formal, matter-of-fact manner.

"She told you right. It could be years before we even figure out how the damn things functioned, let alone fix them. We're hoping the Leviathan support that Commander Shepard recruited will assist us as they were spacefaring before the mass relays existed. No one has any way of communicating with them, but it's a nice thought."

"The Commander went to the bottom of the ocean just to see what they were..."

"Yes, she did. Speaking of her..."

Kaidan would have rather not. The mere mention of her name made his heart ache. Not knowing what became of her after the firing of the Crucible made him feel cold and alone. He just wanted to hold her in his arms again.

Anderson picked up where he left off, "She's been recovered. An Alliance medical facility in a small town a few kilometers outside of London was still largely intact by some miracle. The doctors were able to reprogram most of the remaining equipment. So far, she's comatose. They say vitals and cybernetic implants are steady at the moment."

"She's... alive?" Kaidan's heart pounded with excitement and he swore he was on the brink of weeping.

"It appears so. I sent a team to the Citadel to recover her as soon as I was sure Reaper forces were dealt with. The beam took them to the Citadel Tower and they found her under a pile of rubble in no time. Her armor was destroyed to hell but it obviously got that way from saving her life. Armory maintenance on the _Normandy_ deserves a medal for their fantastic work. Gotta thank Steve Cortez for that one."

"This is fantastic news, Anderson."

"I don't want you telling anyone about this, Alenko." Anderson said quickly, his voice stern, "While she's stable for now, we have no idea where she's going in the future. I don't want to get anyone's hopes up for nothing. Besides, I'm sure a _lot_ of people want to see her dead. Firing the Crucible destroyed the mass relays and all advanced technological systems. No one can get home from where they were stationed during the war. They're going to blame her for firing it. I'm only telling you because I know-, well, I think of all people, you deserve to know."

"I- I understand sir. Thank you. I appreciate this." Kaidan said, his words sincere.

"We'll see you soon. Anderson out."

Never in his life, has Kaidan Alenko ever been filled with so much hope and joy.


	3. Chapter 3 - Return

For information about the Rhea Shepard, refer to previous chapters;

* * *

The _Normandy_ crew, and anyone else trying to get home, never realized how much they took the mass relays for granted. Even with their FTL drives, and how state of the art the _Normandy_ was, the trip home would be months long, maybe years. They did make frequent stops to almost every planet, gathering fuel and resources from other crashed ships that either couldn't make it back up, in that case they would gladly assist any survivors just like their previous commanding officer would have done, or search for supplies in the unfortunate case of no survivors.

The engineering crew improvised, knowing the crew just did not want to stay on this ship for years to come. They scoured any ships they found on crash sites that they could, salvaging parts and upgrading the _Normandy's_ FTL core to the extreme in order to shorten the trip as best as possible. Eventually, the FTL core became something none of them would ever imagine seeing, giving clues even to create ships capable of true intergalactic flight, without the assistance of the mass relay network. If what they saw was true, they may save the galaxy from the fear of never figuring out the mass relays. This wasn't their priority now, but when they landed, it would certainly be looked into thoroughly.

Their trip home was a long one. After finding some who could not repair their ships after the same crash landing fate every ship in the galaxy must have faced, the amount of people on the _Normandy_ nearly doubled in size, almost incapable of adequate space for everyone. The supplies everyone was able to bring on board was just enough after a bit of rationing from time to time. They did well for such a situation. The trip itself took almost a year, the official time being ten months, two weeks and three days long. Everyone was on edge by the time they reached what was left of London. Normally, they would go directly to whatever was left of Alliance HQ in Vancouver, but they communicated with Admiral Anderson quite often, who was stuck in London for the time being. Most everyone in the Alliance was there after the final battle and race to the Conduit. They actually decided that London would be the temporary Alliance HQ, or possibly the new location, but these decisions would be finalized after most of the reconstruction was done.

Major Alenko had his reasons to go to London as well; there was someone on the outskirts he needed to see.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"The _Normandy_ sure is a sight for sore eyes, Major. I'm glad to see you all back in one piece." Admiral Anderson said, extending his hand out to Kaidan as they made it to, what was left of, Earth. "I can't tell you how happy I am to be back on land sir... no matter how it looks." he responded, looking around him. Even with nearly a year behind them to work on the clean up, large Sovereign-class reapers and Destroyers still in sight for miles due to their massive sizes. The smoke and dust still hung in the air a bit, though not as heavy as before. Sunlight actually broke through the clouds. "We're working, harder and harder every day. I'm sure everyone who survived won't take another moment of their life for granted." Anderson said sincerely, taking Kaidan to the make-shift area for Alliance HQ at the moment. The only other known Military officials in there, or known to Kaidan at least, were Admiral Hackett and Primarch Victus. They hadn't notice the Admiral and Major behind them as they were speaking to Admiral Shala'Raan over a mildly static vid comm.

"We are staying on course to Rannoch! Why should we go to Earth or Palaven when we have our own home world that needs repairs? There was a reaper base there! I believe that serves as a form of "Reaper Destruction". We helped Earth during the final battle. The quarians deserve to go to their home world once and for all!" "With all do respect, admiral," Primarch Victus began, "You all were already working on fixing what the reapers had done to Rannoch while there was a war on. You even had the geth to assist you. They had already helped you extensively before the battle of Earth was initiated. The quarians and Rannoch are the most in-tact race of the galaxy that was targeted by the Reapers. Imagine how your people would go down in history after helping every race! " Hackett almost voiced his opinion before the upset quarian responded, "We haven't had a home world in centuries! It's not habitable for organic life at all yet! We're practically starting off where every other planet is at the moment! We don't have time! Besides, imagine how all of the pollution would affect us if something happened to our enviro-suits! It would cause immediate death! We are going to Rannoch!" The Primarch was used to people listening to him, so this conversation began to infuriate him, "Admiral Raan!" "Enough Victus." Hackett interjected, "Rannoch needs the quarian admirals as much as Palaven needs it's Primarch. We all have duties to our people." "Thank you, Admiral Hackett, on behalf of the quarians." He nodded to the vid terminal, "Of course. We'll wait for updates from the quarians as time progresses. Let me know when your people are ready to re-join galactic civilization." Shala'Raan nodded to him, "Yes, certainly." she replied before turning away, the connection ending.

"With all of the dextro supplies the quarians have they could help save millions on Palaven." the Primarch said, turning to Hackett. "Have you even spoken to anyone on Palaven lately, Primarch?" Hackett inquired. "All I know is that supplies are limited, even with rationing. That's why I need the quarian's support. What good am I to my people if I can't even talk down the quarians?" "I understand, Victus. We're all doing every thing we can for our people." Hackett responded. Anderson quickly interjected before Primarch Victus could rebuttal, "No one's looking for allies anymore, Primarch. Right now, everyone just wants their home world back, especially the quarians. It's been nearly a year since the destruction of the reapers and yet you are still on Earth." "What are you trying to say?" the primarch asked, "Plenty of turians are still here on Earth. Plenty of people from every race are here, you all asked for our support in the first place!" "You are the Primarch of Palaven. Yes, we have appreciated everything your people have done for us and are continuing to do for us." Anderson spoke, sincerity in his words. "But you don't want the turian people on Earth anymore?" the Primarch asked with a snide tone. "We all have a duty to our people, you most of all, Victus. I'm saying you could do more good from Palaven than you could from Earth." the admiral responded in a very matter-of-fact tone. Primarch Victus stood and thought for a moment about the human's words. "I suppose you're right." Anderson gave a nod of acknowledgement and extended a hand to Primarch Victus. Before he left, Victus told the men, "I'll see what I can do about getting to Palaven soon. On behalf of the turians, we thank humanity for the destruction of the reapers." Both of the Alliance admirals nodded and Anderson spoke up, "And we thank the turian hierarchy for standing behind us." With that having been said, the primarch left the room.

When he was sure that Victus was out of earshot, Kaidan turned to the admirals and asked them both a question, "So it's been nearly a year, and he has made no effort to get back to Palaven?" "The turians aren't really the best engineers out there," Hackett began, "so he's had trouble making stable connections with anyone. Almost every turian ship that's not damaged to severely needed help from engineers of other species. There are still many turians here on earth. It's not that we mind, it's just we have a limited to none quantity of dextro supplies." Kaidan simply nodded in understanding and then changed the subject to humanity, "So, how have the repairs here been going?" "Slow but steady." Anderson responded, "We've mostly been rebuilding large complexes to house refugees- which is practically everybody. All of the alliance soldiers have been asked to begin help with reconstruction. Most said they would have volunteered anyway; it gives them a chance to search for loved ones." "It makes sense. Looking for family is probably all that's on anyone's mind right now." Kaidan said, realizing he hadn't spoken to his mother since he was contacted about his father's MIA status.

Just then, Admiral Hackett excused himself out of the room to go assist someone requesting his help. Kaidan wasted no time with this opportunity to speak privately with David, "Admiral, I understand you have more important things to worry about, but I have to ask-" "She's stable Alenko," Anderson interrupted quickly, putting his hand up to stop Kaidan, "still unconscious, but stable." Kaidan felt a sense of relief until another worry crept into his mind, "_Still_ unconscious? Sir, what if she never wakes up?" "I'll be honest Kaidan, We almost lost her about five months ago." Anderson spoke shamefully. "What? How?" Kaidan's voice again filled with panic. "The cybernetic implants she received from Cerberus were failing after amazingly surviving the Crucible. We assume the energy couldn't penetrate her armor and flesh, or it was pure damn luck. Even our best doctors that survived couldn't figure out how to save her. We even went to engineers and tech experts. Then a woman, ex-Cerberus operative, who brought her best team of ex-Cerberus scientists to the building of the Crucible stepped in. Her team was put here on Earth after the war was over to assist anyone who needed help for ship repairs or comm system repairs. When this woman heard we needed help saving Shepard, she damn well pulled through. As it turns out, she was in charge of Shepard's revival. Hand picked by the Illusive Man himself to do so." Kaidan wanted to thank this woman in person. If it weren't for her, he would have lost his reason to live, again. "That's incredible luck." Anderson chuckled a bit, "Damn straight it's luck. Shepard has someone looking out for her. Obviously, she hasn't done everything the universe wants her to yet." Kaidan was a bit frustrated with this statement. Hadn't she done enough? She'd risked her life for the sake of the galaxy more times than anyone should ever have to and now he's hearing she has more work to do?

"Speaking of Cerberus, what's the situation with that? I went with Shepard and EDI to the Cronos station. We killed Kai Leng but he said the Illusive Man was long gone to the Citadel." Kaidan asked. "We found that bastard not long after we found Shepard." Anderson began to explain, "He had heavy cybernetic implants himself- they looked like they had burned through his skin when we found him up there, very exposed, unlike Shepard's. Probably killed the second the crucible went off." Kaidan thought for a moment before responding, "So that's it? Cerberus is done?" "We'd assume and hope so, but I'm sure you know as well as I do Kaidan, it's never that easy." "Right."

There was a moment of silence between the two men as they thought of possible future troubles with the pro-humanity extremist group. "Sir," Kaidan began, his voice unsure, "there was something else I would like to ask you." David was already sure of what this question was going to be, but he let Kaidan proceed on anyway. "I have to see her. It's been hell these past months, Admiral. I just need-" "I understand, Major, and I expected this much. If there's time later today, I'll see about getting a shuttle there." Kaidan pulled half a smile, still trying to keep his composure in front of his superior officer. "Thank you, Admiral. You have no idea what this means to me."

* * *

Sorry about the long wait! I had a ton of school assignments to catch up on and I kept rewriting certain parts of this because I wanted to make sure everything made sense(and if it doesn't just say something!) Thanks for everything^^


	4. Chapter 4 - Finally

Sorry about the wait; I had a lot of school stuff going on and I was waiting for the Citadel DLC to come out! But then I realized this chapter wouldn't really have to deal with it that much...

Ok, one thing I need to explain first:  
This Shepard, Rhea Shepard, her class is a Soldier. However, I do mention her using biotics. When choosing her advanced training, I chose Reave, even though she's not a biotic class. For story purposes, I just assumed Cerberus gave her biotic implants during her reconstruction. I decided to add it into the story.  
I also went back and updated the previous chapters to include this, since I forgot the first time I wrote it.

Other information about Shepard: Spacer, Paragade, all members survived the suicide mission, faithful to Kaidan. All DLC is mentioned throughout the story.

* * *

Kaidan wasn't really sure how he was supposed to feel at this moment. It had been almost a year of wondering whether or not he would ever see Shepard again. From what he heard over vidcom with Admiral Anderson, she was stable, but comatose. There was a chance she may never wake up. Currently, she was still in the same situation.

He couldn't help but feel incredibly guilty for not having gone with her to the Citadel. She always called him stubborn, but at that moment, he hadn't been stubborn enough. Why didn't he ignore her orders and follow her up the beam? Why didn't he protect her more? Then, the memories of the _SSV Normandy_ crept into his mind. He attempted to shake the thought off when he heard Anderson's voice tell them the shuttle landed at the medical facility.

Kaidan could feel his heart pounding with anticipation. As they went into the facility, the reality of what the war did to individual people finally showed itself to him. True, he was there on London at the end, but before he was tucked away safely on the _Normandy_. He hadn't seen so many injured people in his life. It was as if there was only one doctor per every thirty or so sick or injured patients.

"Her room is on the top floor. She's the only patient up there. As I told you before, her condition is being kept secret until we know for sure if she'll live or not." Admiral Anderson told him as they entered the elevator. "She'll live. I know it." Kaidan responded. All Anderson could do was nod. Truthfully, the admiral was in a state of doubt. The major hadn't seen what kind of injuries she took at first. "If it weren't for that ex-Cerberus operative we would never have had the slightest clue on how to treat Shepard. Those implants are far beyond our medical staff had ever seen." Kaidan nodded in response. '_So, Cerberus did include good people. Just like those other ex-Cerberus we saved... they were good people,' _he thought to himself. The elevator made a noise that indicated they reached their floor. When the door opened, Kaidan took a deep breath It felt as if the walk to her room took forever, even thought it was one of the first rooms on the hallway.

_This is it. I will finally see her._

When the door opened, the only sound to be heard was the beeping of the machines that tracked her bodily functions. He couldn't believe it was her though. Then, he looked to her, scanning the motionless body of the woman he loved.

That wasn't her. That wasn't his Shepard.

That woman lying there, she looked like death. Her skin was pale white, not that she didn't have a pale complexion before, but now it was a lifeless white. As he stepped closer, Kaidan brushed the back of his fingers over her hand, feeling the cool, stiff skin. He looked up at her hair that laid around her face on the bed. It grew out to her shoulders in the time he was gone, but also appeared to have lost its vibrant, deep red color to be replaced with a dull, dried blood color. Her lips, as small and delicate as the last time he saw her, lost their fullness and nude pink color, only to match the pale white of the other areas of her body. This still, practically lifeless woman was not Shepard, not Rhea.

"Anderson, my god, what happened to her?" Kaidan asked, forcing himself to speak as calmly as possible.

"When the Crucible joined with the Citadel, the energy fired from it was so great that it managed to shake the whole damn station up and even blow a few areas to hell. Shepard was found under some broken pieces of the wall of a building up in Citadel Tower. The only thing we could see was the top of her helmet and her hand clutched to her rifle. Her armor managed to keep her body from being completely crushed, but she did suffer quite a few injuries." Anderson explained as he looked her over again. Most of the commander's injuries were practically healed completely by now, but it would take a while for her to be back on her feet after that much trauma. "When we found her," he continued, "the whole window to Citadel Tower was blown out. We were afraid she had already run out of oxygen before we could find her, but she hadn't. Probably had about thirty minutes tops when we found her." When he spoke, Admiral Anderson's voice was very matter-of-fact, but laced with the hurt he felt from nearly losing the woman he practically considered his daughter. The two were always close and could confide anything in each other. They never let each other down. Anderson would do everything he could to make sure Shepard had the life she wanted, the life she deserved.

Kaidan clenched his eyes shut and remained silent. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. She almost died - again! She has put her life on the line for the galaxy, and every living being in it, enough in her lifetime.

As he scanned some of the data pads in the room concerning Shepard's medical history and current condition, David continued on with his talk. "I won't lie, Alenko. We've almost lost her on several occasions due to lack of supplies, not just the one incident I mentioned to you earlier. Luckily, we were able to 'borrow' a few from the medical teams."

Kaidan looked up to the admiral, even though David's back was turned. "She wouldn't have liked that. She'd say help the others first." The corners of his lips twitched with a reluctant smile as he looked down to her, taking her small hand into his much larger one in the most gentle way he could. Shepard loved helping people, human and alien. He always admired her selflessness.

"I know, I know, but we need her alive. She's not an inspiration to humanity anymore; she's an inspiration to every living being in the galaxy." at this point, Anderson turned to look Alenko in the eye, "They want to know - they _need_ to know - that we can take down the most powerful threat the galaxy has ever faced as one. Shepard was able to fix situations humanity wasn't even around to witness. She secured the future for everybody in the galaxy. Because of that woman, we can say with certainty that there _will_ be a tomorrow."

Kaidan nodded in complete agreement with Admiral Anderson. "Sir, what happened to the geth after the Crucible fired? Shepard wanted them to live. She saved them from the Reapers as well as united them with the quarians." Kaidan asked. Although he was still iffy about the geth due to his time aboard the _SSV Normandy, _he would never question the commander's judgement. He remembered joining her on the geth dreadnought with Tali, watching her enter the geth consciousness, and even as she allowed her geth friend, Legion, to sacrifice its own life to give each of its people a true life - to be their own people. Her work with the geth truly amazed him after everything they did to take down Saren and his team.

"The strangest thing happened after the Crucible fired. The geth support just... dropped. It was as if they were killed or shut down." Anderson replied, crossing one arm over his chest and the other reached up, his hand rested against his chin.

Kaidan looked up to him, his expression stern as they tried to think. "The same thing happened to EDI. She was speaking and helping Joker, but when the Crucible's energy caught up to us she just, stopped. Then we crash landed. Tali and the other engineers said they would look into it. Maybe they can learn a little something about how to bring them back."

Admiral Anderson nodded in acknowledgement before picking up another data pad and scanning the information over. "I'll give you a few moments here alone, Alenko. I'll need you ASAP for help with rebuilding. As a favor, for what you've done for Shepard and the Alliance over the past few years, I'll allow you to stay in this area. You'll get clearance to visit this room any time you want, but don't overdo it."

"Thank you sir. That means, more than you know."

"Well, I understand you have strong feelings for the commander, and her for you."

"Ah, yes. That's true."

"You know, Major, there are regulations against-"

"Yes. We've... talked about that."

Anderson sighed. "Well, you didn't do a good job of keeping that secret. Not to mention, her and you tend to act on impulses. I guess I did when I was that young as well."

Kaidan's brow furrowed in confusion. "Sir, I don't follow what you're saying."

"There's a reason her healing process has been so slow," Anderson said as he handed Kaidan the data pad, "and I'm not quite sure how you'll take it. About a month after we recovered her body, the doctors noticed something... strange."

As he listened, Kaidan scanned the data pad. "What was- oh. Oh, god. She... she's"

"She was. The doctors did everything they could."

"Why didn't you send me a message saying she was pregnant? If you knew her and I..."

"Because we knew after all of the trauma her body endured and the surgery we put her through that child wouldn't have made it. The doctors tried to save it but around the third month... they were too late. Her body couldn't take it."

There was a short silence before Anderson spoke again. "They didn't want me to tell you. They said it's best if the father didn't know. I thought you deserved an explanation. I'll leave it up to you however, if you want to tell her."

Kaidan was in shock. He didn't know how to take the news. "T-thank you, sir."

"I'll leave you be, for now. Call me when you've decided to leave."

Anderson put a hand on Kaidan's shoulder sympathetically and Kaidan gave a quick nod, then slowly looked to Shepard with a pained face.

As Anderson left, Kaidan took Shepard's hand and closed his eyes. He searched his memory for her smiling face. Maybe, just maybe, he would see it again soon.

* * *

Again, sorry for the long wait ;-; I have started writing the new one already and I hope to have it up soon!


	5. Chapter 5 - A Year

Rhea Shepard: Soldier(I do mention her using biotics. When choosing her advanced training, I chose Reave, even though she's not a biotic class. For story purposes, I just assumed Cerberus gave her biotic implants during her reconstruction.), Spacer, Paragade, all members survived the suicide mission, faithful to Kaidan. All DLC for 2&3 is mentioned throughout the story.

* * *

It has been a year since that fate-telling day the Crucible fired.

So far, the cleanup has been going well. Everybody put forth their best effort and more to see a beautiful home again. Plans made for reconstruction will soon be underway. This seems to also be the case for the rest of the galaxy, not just Earth.

When last spoken to, the asari agreed to finally share their long hoarded knowledge of the Prothean race with the entire galaxy. This may or may not have happened with the help of the Shadow Broker's Prothean friend, Javik. Javik himself agreed to help explain as best he could what was stored there and how his people accomplished such things. The asari and all other alien races were more than grateful to the last standing Prothean.

The turians and their militaristic attitude practically destroyed Palaven and all of the turian colonies during the war with the Reapers. Their period of reconstruction is assumed to take the longest out of all of the other contacted races.

The salarians were lucky enough to avoid war directly on Sur'kesh for quite a while. Their home planet was mostly in tact, and not that many lives were lost. They agreed to assist other council races and their rebuilding processes as best they could.

The quarians happen to have the most difficult yet the most rewarding process of them all. They literally have to build from nothing, finding the best places to settle on Rannoch. However, they can do this with the immense honor of knowing they are the generation of quarians to make peace with the geth and take Rannoch back, along with a few allies. To commemorate the peace making efforts of the geth before their unexpected shut down, the quarians have sent their best engineers and geth technology experts to attempt and solve the problem. Many quarians, and even other alien races, are still uneasy about siding with the geth after what happened during the Battle of the Citadel in 2183, but none outwardly oppose. If the council isn't stopping this AI research, then it must not be worthy of worry.

Other Citadel races including the volus, elcor, hanar and the drell are working just as diligently to have their homes back to the way they were before the devastating war.

Little is known about the krogan effort on Tuchanka. Nobody in the Krogan DMZ has been spoken to. With the lack of krogan scientists and tech experts, they are assumed to have difficulties getting comm channels back online. Before his departure from Earth, Urdnot Wrex told Alliance command and the leaders of other alien races that he would bring Tuchanka back to its glory days. He hoped the krogan would finally be able to find peace and alliance with the alien races. With level-headed Urdnot Bakara at his side, they are expected to succeed.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Today was a day everyone celebrated. They all took time off work to enjoy their lives. Exactly one year ago today the Reaper threat was no more. It is expected that soon, when normal order is restored, today will be recognized as an intergalactic holiday. It is an incredibly important day. It is a good day.

For one man, that man being Kaidan Alenko, it's a painful day.

It has been a year since that fate-telling day when Shepard fired the Crucible.

She's been unconscious for a year now. Since his return a little less than two months ago, Kaidan has visited Shepard every day. He sits with her, holds her hand, watches the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she breathes, and hopes that soon she will wake up and everything will be okay. Was that to much to ask?

Major Alenko had been put in charge, by Admiral Anderson's orders, of the rebuilding of major housing units just outside of London. Every Alliance officer had similar orders during the post-war times. In observance of the new holiday and first anniversary of the death of the Reapers, all working with the reconstruction effort were allowed to finish a few hours earlier than normal. The civilians were happy and took the time to spend with each other, having drinks if available, and happy to be alive and well.

Kaidan, on the other hand, just went to the hospital a bit earlier than normal. Recently, the doctors had been informing him that her progress was going well. She was healed, for the most part, and all they needed to do now was wait for her to wake up to begin the process of getting her back on her feet. They still had no idea when, or if, she would wake up.

He stayed later than normal today. usually, he would go to the temporary home he stayed in while working here once it began to get dark outside. The events of today made it seem appropriate to stay later into the night. He wasn't sure if it was to remind himself to be thankful that she was alive after the events that are not officially a year in the past, or to remind himself he left her that day. Maybe he could have saved her from ending up in this situation.

Everything was normal and quiet ast nighttime fell. Kaidan almost fell unconscious in the chair next to her bed until a loud slam broke his sleepy spell. He got up and looked out the window and saw the sky filled with large purple flares, probably biotic. He couldn't figure out why, but then realized the cheering people sending them off most likely did so in place of fireworks.

Yeah, today people were celebrating.

He imagined what she would think of all of this considering her interest in biotics after Cerberus installed an implant of her own, taking advantage of the strong biotic potential she gained when she was succumbed to massive eezo exposure when the first Normandy's drive core was destroyed and she was spaced with it.

He was deep in thought until the booming of the flares ceased and another sound took his attention.

One of he machines monitoring her life signs began to show different readings and its rhythmic pattern of beeping changed slightly. He wasn't sure what this one did; he thought it had to do with monitoring her brain activity, which actually scared him more.

Just as he stood up to go get a doctor, something incredible happened.

His eyes fell on the hand he was holding. As he was about to let go, her fingers twitched and gripped his own hand ever so slightly. Kaidan forgot everything he was about to do and turned back to her, his heart pounding against his chest.

"Shepard?"

After a few agonizing moments for Kaidan, her eyes fluttered open slowly and his breath stopped. Her eyes were the same, beautiful hue of blue he remembered.

Cautiously, he stepped closer to her.

"Shepard?"

The response he was given was simply a pained groan.

Waking up in sterile white hospital rooms was not one of Shepard's favorite things to do. her head was throbbing and when she tried to sit up, her abdomen flared with intense pain and soreness. The only thing she could do was let out a small groan.

She heard someone call her name, the voice funny, yet familiar sounding, in her dreary state. Everything was hazy and she could not figure out who it was exactly.

She turned her gaze slowly and met familiar brown eyes set in a concerned expression. That's when she recognized him.

"Kai... what... ugh..." she tried to say, but she was still so confused with a dull, throbbing pain in her head.

Kaidan sighed in relief at the sound of her voice. He'd waited a whole year for this moment; the moment to speak to her again. "You were hurt during the war... when you ended the war."

"So... so it's over?"

"Yeah, it's all over. You did it again, Shepard." As he spoke, a gentle, proud smile stretched across his face. "I ah, I should probably find your doctor." he added after a few short moments. "Are you alright?" he asked as he slowly stepped towards the door.

"Well, I'm alive."

Kaidan turned back to look at her one last time before he left to go get her doctor.

"Hell of a headache though." she added with her best smile.

Kaidan returned the smile before quickly heading down the hall.

Shepard was back.

* * *

**A/N**: Thank you to everyone who's following the story! I honestly thought no one would read my work so I really appreciate it when you do! I'd love to hear what everyone thinks!

The next chapter is about halfway done^^


	6. Chapter 6 - The Second Commander

"It's good to see you up and well again, Shepard." Admiral Anderson said as he walked into Shepard's room.

"Thanks. It's good to see you too, Anderson." she said, turning her attention to him.

"I wish I could have been here sooner. I was in Vancouver for a while, trying to help reestablish Alliance HQ. I only just got the news you were conscious again."

"It's alright. I know you're busy. Kaidan's been filling me in on what's been going on." she said as she motioned to the Major sitting next to her. She lowered her head so she didn't have to see Kaidan or Anderson, "I still can't believe I was out for a year."

"In the few weeks before Anderson could visit, Shepard's health had improved drastically. Her skin and facial features had become vibrant with life again and she herself was back to normal. A few days after waking up, the doctors were able to help her start walking again and she picked up right away. Now, she sat up in her bed waiting for the day the doctor didn't have 'just one more test to run' a joke she and Kaidan had from his days in Huerta Memorial on the Citadel.

"Commander Shepard, I- oh! Admiral Anderson!" an unfamiliar woman wearing an Alliance uniform said as she walked in to the room, saluting Anderson. Her voice was young and determined.

"At ease, commander." he said to her before turing back to Shepard and Kaidan. "Commander, Major, this is Commander Amelia Hackett."

"Hackett?" Shepard said, turning to the girl.

"Yes," she responded, "Admiral Hackett is my dad.

Amelia looked to be just a few years younger than Shepard. She had flawless olive skin and a mop of loose, light brown curls hanging from her head to just past her shoulders. Her eyes were an interesting hue of vibrant blue-green.

"I've assigned her to assist with the reconstruction of the Citadel." Anderson spoke, directed to Shepard and Kaidan, "What are you doing here, Hackett?" he said, turning to Amelia.

"Admiral Hackett," she began, "and the new council told me she was no longer comatose so I figured I should come up and ask her about what was discussed."

Shepard looked to Amelia and then to Anderson. "What's this all about?"

Anderson spoke up first, "You did amazing things for the galaxy during that war, Shepard. You solved problems that were centuries old, problems humanity had no part in, and now every race in the galaxy is allied with one another. Nobody could have pulled of even half of the things you've done in your life. Now, we need you in charge again. The galaxy is a mess. We were holding out hope that you would assume the position of the new human councilor."

Kaidan's eyes widened as he looked to Shepard, as did her own. She looked to Kaidan, Amelia, and then to Anderson again.

"Me? Are you sure?"

"Of course Shepard," he replied, "You're the best humanity has to offer. The decision to put you into office was unanimous."

"The other, new councilors are really looking forward to working with you, Shepard. They seem to like humans a lot more than the others did." Amelia interjected.

"New council?" Kaidan asked.

"Yes," she began to reply, "The previous council didn't make it off the Citadel in time. In fact, nobody did. Commander Armando-Owen Bailey of C-Sec, as well as countless C-Sec officers, attempted to help the councilors off the Citadel when they saw reapers had come through the Widow Relay. None of them made it."

Shepard looked down to her hands in her lap and felt ashamed. "Well, this is only the second set of councilors I wasn't able to save." She felt Kaidan touch her shoulder in a reassuring way and looked back up to Anderson. As much as the gesture helped, she was still shy about public displays of affection with him, especially in the case of their superior officer being in front of them. They could not be caught breaking regs.

Anderson spoke up again, "So Shepard, do you accept?" his reply in attempt to change the subject.

She thought about it for a few moments before voicing her answer.

"No. I decline."

Everybody in the room was silent and shocked.

"I told you once Anderson, I'm a soldier, not a politician." she added.

Shepard and Anderson shared a silent conversation of stern stares before he responded. "Alright. I understand." He then looked to Amelia. "I'll inform our runner up of what happened here."

She nodded. "I'm certain he'll accept, sir." she responded confidently before Anderson excused himself.

After the admiral left, Amelia turned back to Shepard. "I have to say, ma'm, it's an honor to meet you. My dad's told me a lot of amazing things about your service, even more than what I've heard on the news reports. I mean, Akuze, the Battle of the Citadel, the Omega 4 Relay? Now the reapers? You're an amazing woman Shepard." she said with a smile that then quickly dropped. "I- I'm sorry! I'm sure you get that all the time, ma'm. I bet I'm just another annoying fan now, eh?"

Shepard smiled slightly and shook her head. "It's alright, commander. So, how come we've never met before? I assume you're kept separate from your father and the fifth fleet. I know I was always assigned missions separate from my mother."

Amelia nodded in response, "Cerberus bases are quite far from the fifth fleet."

Shepard and Kaidan both responded with shocked looks. It was Shepard who spoke up. "Wha- Cerberus?"

"I'm- I go- well, I'm a spy." she answered. "An N7 mission requested I gather info on Cerberus. This was right from the beginning of Cerberus, before it was serious enough to get someone like you involved. I was fresh in the N7 program at the time, about eight or nine years ago I think. I had to take a small team- myself and five others- into a Cerberus base on this small, uncharted moon. They killed everyone in my squad, so I killed all of theirs. I only kept the three top scientists around and I took over the lab. They told their superiors that there were only the five soldiers that came, the ones they killed. "

"So, how did you get stationed on Cerberus bases after that?"

"I had those scientists tell their boss I was a biotic, tech, and weapons specialist looking to help humanity in every way I could. The Illusive Man signed me on after that to another, larger base that was hidden in the Terminus Systems. Eventually, I worked my way up and became one of his best operatives. He didn't know it, but I was giving Alliance Command intel about Cerberus operations the entire time. Mr. Illusive never knew."

"Impressive." Shepard said with a small smile.

"So, are you a biotic, tech, and weapons specialist?" Kaidan asked, curious.

Amelia nodded in response. "I study and practice biotics often, but I'm not all that well with them. I got my implant around the time they started making L3s, but I wasn't in that first group to get one so I got stuck with a later model of the L2. It's not as risky as the earlier ones, but it hasn't been easy living with it. My true area of expertise is tech and weapons."

"Yeah, I understand what you mean about the L2. I've got one too." Kaidan said, scratching the back of his neck where he could feel the surgical scar where he was implanted.

"Sounds like we could use you aboard the _Normandy_." Shepard quickly said, much to Kaidan and Amelia's surprise.

Kaidan looked at Shepard, confused. "Aboard the _Normandy_? I think your days of combat are over, Shepard. Besides, what is there to fight?"

Shepard turned to him quickly, "Admiral Hackett told me to kill the Illusive Man myself. I haven't done that and as far as I know Cerberus could still be operational. I'm not stopping until I know they're through."

"The Illusive Man is dead. His body was found on the Citadel a few weeks after the Reaper War ended." Amelia told her.

"See? He's gone, Shepard. You've done more than enough for this galaxy." Kaidan said reassuringly, taking one of her hands. "Don't you think you deserve a rest? A normal life?"

"Actually," Amelia began speaking in an unsure tone, not certain if this was good to bring up at the time, "we do have reports of some areas of Cerberus still operational. They're taking advantage of the weakened galaxy it seems. Mostly on remote colonies." she said, bringing up her omni-tool and scrolling through a list of planets and colonies.

Shepard brought up her own omni-tool, "Send me the names. The doctors told me that by the time they release me in a few weeks I'll be the same person I used to be. I'll take them on and see what Cerberus wants now."

Amelia looked to Kaidan as if for approval, but sent the lists to Shepard anyway, refusing to go against the wishes of a woman who could take down a reaper just by using a thresher maw. "A-alright..."

"Got it." Shepard said after a few moments of data transfers. Kaidan almost spoke up, but decided not to when he received a look from his lover that simply dared him to say a word. "So, Miss Hackett," Shepard began, "care to join us on the _Normandy?_ We could use the help of someone who actually worked inside of Cerberus. "

"Commander Shepard, I would love to." she answered with a smile. "I'll have to make sure it's all right with Admiral Anderson since I was assigned to assist with the Citadel."

"Get to it. Like I said, a few more weeks until I can go, but be ready then." Shepard answered.

"Aye aye, captain." Amelia said before saluting and excusing herself from the room.

The room was silent for a few moments.

"Shepard..."

"Kaidan, don't start. I have to do this. You know I don't leave a job unfinished. You... don't have to stay... if you don't agree with it. I would understand completely."

He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Shepard, I am with you until the end."

She put her hand behind his head and pulled him in gently for a kiss.

* * *

Amelia is supposed to be a cross between a sentinel and an infiltrator. I imagine if she was an actual squad mate, her powers would be something along the lines of "Overload, Slam, Tactical Cloak, Incinerate" It's a weird, unique combination, but she's supposed to be quite a unique character, but, more on her later; she plays an important role.

I promise there will be more shenko stuff in the next and upcoming chapters, I just had to set the background and it happened to take six chapters to do that woops o~o;


	7. Chapter 7 - Not Very Normal

A/N: Changed the rating for the mention of sexy Shenko times during the Citadel DLC.

* * *

Shepard was on her way to board a shuttle with Amelia that would take them to the heart of London, Amelia having informed her that was where Admirals Anderson and Hackett were staying, making repairs.

"Shepard, you're insane."

"You know me Kaidan; you know I don't like to leave a job unfinished."

He sighed. "You read the reports yourself, you know this isn't a threat. Hackett could easily send in a few teams of N7 soldiers to each of the locations to secure them. You don't have to do this."

She turned to him and narrowed her eyes. "Did it occur to you that maybe I _want _to do this?" She turned back towards the shuttle and started to step on to board. He quickly grabbed her wrist and started to pull her towards him.

"Shepard, it's only been _four months_ since you even regained consciousness! Now you want to get right back into the thick of it?" Kaidan said as he pulled himself and Shepard closer together. As he spoke, he brushed some of her cherry red locks behind her ear in the way she usually wore it. His voice lowered when he spoke. "Do you know what would happen if I had to see you get hurt again?"

Shepard placed a hand on his jaw and let her thumb run up and down against his cheek, her hand familiarizing itself again with the feel of his rugged facial hair. "Everything will be fine. All I want to do is go in, shoot some guys and get some answers."

Same old Shepard.

"Rhea." he began, using her first name. She always knew he was serious in a way not related to their formal work when he used her first name. He was referring to her as a woman, not an officer. The sound of her name on his lips never failed to send a shiver down her spine. "Don't you even remember what we talked about? I thought we could finally have our own lives together after the war. I thought," he leaned in and gently touched his forehead to hers, looking at her with pleading eyes, uncaring of the stares from the world around them, "I thought we would finally be able to spend our lives together, just us, no Reapers, no Cerberus, geth, wars, anything. Just us."

_"Well, that sure is an effective way to burn off some calories." Shepard said, smirking to Kaidan as she propped herself on one elbow, facing him. Her other arm held the black bed sheets close, hiding her body in sheer modesty. Kaidan, also propping himself up to face her, one hand holding his chin while the other was underneath the blanket, rested on her lower back, just above her butt. He slowly and gently traced up her spine until his hand was tangled with her hair. The feeling of his rough fingertips on her smooth skin was explicitly erotic for her, causing her to bite the inside of her bottom lip with the tips of her front teeth. This action did not go unnoticed to Kaidan, but his only response was a corner of his mouth turning upward, partially smirking to her. _

_The way he looked at her. The fluent way his hands worked her body. The silly bit of pride he got out of knowing he pleasured her endlessly. _

_These were the things she loved about their relationship. The simple things. The things that made them normal._

_Normal._

_Her life was far from it and at this rate, she was dragging him down into the insanity. She wanted nothing more than to make him happy, and nothing less than to see him hurt. _

_She looked down at the mattress and drew invisible patterns on the sheet. Her expression was full of distress._

_"Where will you go, after the war?"_

_His slight smile changed to saddened concern. "I'm going anywhere you go, Rhea. Why would you ask?"_

_"No reason."_

_"Rhea, you talk like you're going to die." he said worriedly, looking directly to her eyes, even though she just looked away._

_She was silent for a few moments._

_"After seeing Horizon a few days ago, this all feels so wrong. Here we are safe, in bed and on shore leave and there they are being turned into husks by those stupid Cerberus-Reaper puppets!" Her voice rose the more she spoke._

_Kaidan shook his head and rubbed sooting circles on the back of her neck with his thumb. "We had no idea. At least those girls you knew - the ex-Cerberus and her sister you told me about - they were there trying to help and get the word out. This war is just one surprise after another. You're doing absolutely nothing wrong."_

_She smiled slightly at him. "You know, a good boyfriend would let me hate myself."_

_His heart jumped at the word 'boyfriend'._

_"Yeah, but _your_ boyfriend," as he spoke, he pulled their bodies closer, their chests pressed up against each other, making Shepard's heart beat quicken at the sudden movement, "will just tell you you're the best damn woman that this galaxy has ever seen. Hell, the best woman this entire universe has ever seen." He leaned in slowly and kissed her softly. His voice lowered and he let out a small laugh before speaking again. "And this idiot is just lucky to have ever met you."_

_She smiled and nestled her face into the crook of his neck and shoulder. The warmth of his body was an instant and welcome comfort to her doubts._

_"So," Shepard began, looking up to his loving brown eyes, "are you going to teach me how to be normal after all this is over?"_

_He laughed lightly at her request, happy to see her back to her usual self for the moment. "I don't know if you could handle it. No enemies charging at you, no escaping stations you're blowing up, no reaper lasers to dodge..."_

_"I think I could handle it." she pouted in retaliation._

_"Commander Shepard: Savior of the Citadel, Destroyer of the Collectors, Conquerer of the Reapers, and simple housewife-"_

_He was cut off by a playful smack to the face._

_"No, really," he continued, stifling a laugh, "what would you do with yourself that doesn't include a gun?"_

_"Watch your mouth, Alenko!"_

_"I could see you at home, cooking, cleaning, taking the kids to school-" Kaidan stopped talking when he felt Shepard shift awkwardly at the mention of kids. He gave her a small, reassuring squeeze around her waist. "How about, when all this is over, I'll take ou you out. Wherever you want." _

_She smiled gently in response._

_"We could go dancing if you wanted. Maybe go for sushi..."_

_"Hey!" Shepard shifted her position to lay on her back and crossed her arms over her chest._

_"Maybe you could put that little black dress on again." Kaidan mentioned with a sly smile._

_"Maybe you could go to hell." she responded with a small smack on his arm. It was obvious she tried not to laugh, not to mention the pink rising to her cheeks in embarrassment. She tried to get out of bed but Kaidan shifted and propped himself over top of her, both of them underneath the blanket, his arms encasing her on either side. _

_He looked into those sapphire eyes he loved so much and then noticed the blushing of her cheeks underneath them._

_The great Commander Shepard._

_Blushing._

_He tried to contain his chuckling as he spoke again. "What is it? Real varren leather?"_

_She tossed her head back, unable to contain her own laughs. Kaidan took advantage of this position and kissed her jaw, trailing them down to her collar bone. _

_Her laughter ensued, only this time it also contained a hint of pleasure as his warm lips made contact with her soft skin._

_She hadn't been this happy or been this relaxed in such a long time. Shepard couldn't remember the last time she had laughed this much. Kaidan had incredible effects on her. _

_Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him closer, enjoying the feeling of their bodies touching once again._

_She could feel him smile against her body as his lips continued contact with her skin. _

_"Let's make every day after the war like this one, okay, Kaidan?"_

_"I wouldn't have it any other way, Rhea."_

_Their lips reconnected, and they made love once more. _

"I- I know. But, back then, I thought the Reapers would be it! I figured after we went to Cronos station and finished them off, that would be it. But, these reports Amelia showed me..." she lowered her head for a moment and then looked up, determination in her eyes, "I have to take care of them."

Kaidan shook his head and then looked her in the eyes. "I can't let you do that. You'll hurt yourself. You don't know what's out there, no one does."

"Kaidan-"

His voice rose. "Don't you-" Kaidan was cut off by a glaring set of eyes as Shepard quickly pulled herself out of his hold, crossing her arms over her chest. She did not want to hear _that_ again.

He began to speak again, a softer tone, "Listen, Shepard, you wouldn't be able to do this anyway. The mass relays are destroyed. I don't even think anybody has figured out how they worked yet, not even the asari. All of those reports are from other worlds that you can't even get to."

"I'm going to talk to the Admirals anyway. I'll see what they have to say." she responded, letting her arms fall to her sides again. She would not be defeated, but she also did not want to hurt his feelings. "It'll be fine."

"It's just-"

"I know, I know." She took his hands and stepped closer to him. "A-and you don't have to come, not if you don't want to. I understand after the war there will be a lot of soldiers retiring and quitting. I understand if you don't want to be on my squad agai-"

"Are you kidding me? There's no way in hell I'm letting you do any more missions without me." He pulled himself closer to her and placed a long, gentle kiss on her lips. "I'm with you until the end."

"After this," she began, "we will be able to live like we wanted to. I promise. I won't let anything get in our way."

He responded with a loving smile.

She kissed him one more time and then led him to the shuttle that would then take them to the heart of London for a meeting with Admirals Hackett and Anderson.

* * *

A/N: I was going to also put the meeting with the admirals in this chapter so it wouldn't be too short but then i realized putting it in here would make it too long so i'll just post it as another chapter o~o


End file.
